Grounded
by apollosunchariot
Summary: Tam Fox had thought her life was seemingly normal. Or it would have at least calmed down a bit after what had happened. She was still in the run with Bat-People, but things were good. Until they weren't. ((Read and comment please!))


Around her he wasn't himself. Or maybe he was? Maybe he was only himself around her. Either way she brought out the best in him. Tam would always bring out the best in everyone she met. Always. He saw it in Bruce when they came around. And Dick just acted even more spunky; because she would go right along with him. Tim...They didn't talk about him. "Come on Babe. I'm taking you to work." said Jason as he picked her up from the floor of the bathroom with a laugh. Tam still had her toothbrush in her mouth and a towel wrapped around her. She let out a yelp in surprise.

"Jason Todd if you do not let me down right now...I'll...I'll um..." Tam was at a loss of words. She couldn't hold back her giggle. There wasn't anything she could do to him. He was at least seven inches taller then her.

"Oh. So /thats/what you'll do to me then. ", he said with a laugh," Sounds dangerous. I bet I don't stand a chance." His light hearted laugh made her head dizzy. Truth was to she /was/ his biggest weakness Then came the pain. There was always the pain. How could they just walk about living happy lives when he had died. When he had died with her right there and she had watched.

A frown was creeping onto her lips. She tensed in his arms. The majority of their moments always ended like this. Not today. Jason had resentment towards Tim. Even in his grave he could make her feel for him.

" Not today." Jason set Tam down. " We have out lunch date remember?" He gave her a quick pat on the butt before she walked back to the bathroom to get ready.

Jason checked his pocket once, twice, three times until Tam met him. It was still there. He wasn't a very forgetful person, but he had to make sure. This was one thing he couldn't screw up.

She greeted him with a quick peck on the lips. The small things like this made him smile. She tried her best to be affectionate, when she wasn't brooding in her own mind holding back.

Tim's death had effected Tam in two ways. 1) It made her a much more detailed person. She minded and watched every little thing; just like Tim. Tam would hold on to each moment she let herself have. She would make herself feel bad for living without him. For doing the things she did. It broke Jason's heart.

2) It brought Jason and Tam together. She couldn't lose her ties with his family so she sought him out. Found him. Their friendship grew and then bloomed into more. They had trust and love and everything imaginable. Well besides Tam's dad's blessing, or at the moment that's what she thought.

[ "Sir, I want to marry your daughter. I love her, but I don't want to ask her hand without your permission." Jason coughed uncomfortably. Tam and her father fight over her decisions to be with him. He got into fights with Bruce about Jason. Jason had even gotten into a fight with Tam once over it. He was done with the fighting. His whole life had been one big fight. He was done with it all.

Lucius kept his deep, brown eyes on Jason. He was saying tiny prayers in his head that he would say yes. He loved Tam and didn't want to lose her. She would breakdown without him. Tam had told him that. She said he was the glue holding her together. He wasn't with her to keep her together; she was keeping him sane.

"I respect you coming here." Lucius nods. When had Tam grown up? Where had all of her childhood gone? Was Tiffany really having a baby? Just the thought of him losing his baby girl made his head spin.

" I-I uh,...even called her mom." Jason shoved his hands in his pockets not making eye contact with her father. He felt the gun he always carried there. When he first met Tam three years ago he was carrying four on him when he went out in public.

Lucius did a sort of shark circle around Jason eyeing him. If there was one man who could intimidate Jason, because lets face it Bruce has really no effect on him anymore, it was Lucius Fox. How you could get a tiny, sweet, beautiful woman from a man that had so much power inside him, he couldn't comprehend the idea. "Do you have the ring with you?", asked Lucius.

"Yes sir," He dug through his pocket. It was right next to his hand gun. What he pulled out was a small Tiffany box. It was a light blue, kinda like the sky in Smallville (because God knows Gotham's sky is rarely ever blue), with a tiny white bow on top. It opened with a little POP! He held it out to her father.

Lucius took the small box as examined the ring. He studied it. It was beautiful. For an entire five minutes he was thinking. Could he lose his baby girl to this man? Was he ready for that? Was /she/ ready for that? All these questions bounced and banged around in his head. It got so bad he had to take a seat leaving Jason to his own devices. The questions that ran in his head were far more sickening then Lucius'.

" Yes." Said Lucius in a monotone voice setting the box down on his desk and pushing it towards Jason. He was lost in thought when he looked up at the older man.

"What?"

"Yes. I give you permission to ask my daughter to marry you." A wave of realization, relief, great fullness, and any other emotion washed over him. Before Lucius could make another move Jason had him enveloped in a hug.

And then all of the sudden he was a small boy again. It wasn't Lucius. It was Bruce. "I won't disappoint you." Lucius had his doubts. Then he was back in the office looking at her father. The same words applied. When he wasn't teasing his brothers he was normally a very serious person, well teasing his brothers and flirting with Tam.

"Go before I change my mind.", said Lucius.]

Tam sat down at their table with a groan. "Rough day, Tam?"asked Jason as he ran a nervous hand through his black hair that had one stark white streak in the front. Tam had always told him it was cute.

"You have no idea." she stated with a sigh. What she Wasn't planning on telling him was that Tim's grave had been dug up and his body wasn't to be found.

Tim had always been there; in her mind. She never spoke about it. His death had ruined her. Tam lost her best friend in that car accident. He hadn't died from some mass villain or stupid hero thing. It had been a drunk driver. They were coming home from a meeting. A late one. Laughing and talking just like the two alwaysc did. Tim had been distracted while he was driving. You'd think a Ninja-Boy could see a oncoming driver. Tam had blamed herself. She was filled with regret. Never letting herself enjoy what she had ,for that's what Tim would want right? Over the years she began to ease up. Let herself enjoy these times; times with Jason.

"It will be okay. I promise." he said taking her hand giving it a gentle comforting squeeze. Jason was never used to showing affections. Not until he made it his job to pull Tam out of her shell.

"Right.", she mumbles. It was just someone digging through graveyards looking for valuables. There was no reason to worry. Everything would be fine.

" Hey,babe...I-I was um..." His words stuttered and he fumbled with his free hand, digging through his pocket for the small box. Jason pulled it out and got down on one knee still holding her hand. The corner of Tam's mouth twitched into a smile. The empty grave was miles away now.

She nods him on encouraging him to get the words out. They decided to not flow. "...Will you marry me?" Jason's face turned red waiting for her answer. She hadn't pulled back or given him any odd looks. Their lips crashed together as she wrapped her arms around his neck. A silent yes was whispered.

Tam twirled the ring on her finger glancing at it every so often to check and make sure it was real. To make sure any of this was real.

A knock came to her door and she strode over to answer the sound. Her steps had more bounce then they had in years. Like she had been hiding a giant secret and it had just been revealed. Weights off her shoulders. No longer is gravity effecting her. She was on her own. Feet floating off the ground.

"Tiffany...?" She gave her sister a puzzled look. It was rare she would show up at her office. Tiffany glared at her sister storming into her office and slamming the door shut.

"Tamara Danielle Fox! How do you expect to live an actual normal life with that man!? Do you truly think he can make you happy?" Tiffany had never been shy to voice what she though. Or give her sister shove in the direction she felt was right for her. Her heart was pure, but her words were always line with poison. At one point when the two lived under the same roof they had gotten into a fight. Neither talked to the other for a year. When these sisters fight try mean business. Everything was business in their family.

Tam's expression turned hard. "You don't have the right to tell me what makes me happy or not!I love him and he is good to me. That's all that matters." She said mater-of-factly. Inside she was being torn apart. The last fight they had was after Tim's funeral.

A sigh filled the room as Tam held the bridge of her nose between her thumb and her index finger. "Leave. " she pointe towards the door. Without protest her sister left.

A/N: Wrote this a bit ago and decided to vamp it up. Wanted to get it out. I have no idea where it may go though. Review if you like and tell me what you think so I can write more.


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